Teachers play an important role in a local community everywhere throughout Thailand. Culturally, they are highly respected because the communities regard them as role models and source of knowledge and wisdom for young people. This culture upbringing is also practiced at Yaowawit.

To honour the dedication of their teachers toward their education, Yaowawit students held a ceremony in which they knelt down before their teachers, while presenting their offerings. The offerings symbolised their gratitude and respects. And after receiving the offerings, the teachers then passed advice to the students to be exemplary students valuable for their family, community, and country.

To do the procession correctly, the students and their teachers rehearsed the activities for two days so that the whole ceremony could go according to the plan. Overall, the ceremony helps strengthen the bond between students and their teachers as they interact with each other every day.

Groups of CKY (Po Leung Kuk Choi Kai Yau) School have been to Yaowawit several times already over the past 3 years. At first, they came over with their teachers. Some who got touched by Yaowawit’s experience came back. Now they organised their own group among friends to visit Yaowawit every year.

Because of conflicting college schedules, not all of them could come at the same time. They thus split the group into two. The first group arrived from 8 – 15 June, and the second group, from 15 – 22 June.

They had an overall similar programme in that they spent a lot of time with the children as mentors in classroom activities, such as English reading, math’s lessons, class assistantship, and creative group games. With the children, they also played sports including chair ball and swimming, performed dances, prepared Thai dishes along with making their own pizzas, and did meditation. Additionally, they went on excursions to popular places in the area. This time, instead of working in the farm, they worked on mural paintings on the walls at the kindergarten house, music room, and the area where the children wash their plates after meals.

After spending many hours with the children, these former CKY students found it hard to say goodbye. However, as they will come back again next year, the children are eager to meet them again.

To bring your own group for such social activities with the children, please contact us at lodge@yaowawit.org. We can provide you the detail about the programme.

Today’s hospitality class is different. Our hospitality students (Grades 4 – 6) got an opportunity to observe and work with chefs from eight different hotels (JW Marriott Phuket, JW Marriott Khao Lak, Marriott Resort Merlin Beach, Marriott Resort Nai Yang Beach, Le Méridien Phuket, Renaissance Phuket, The Westin Phuket, Phulay Bay) in a Marriott-sponsored CSR programme.

Five chefs from each of those hotels set up their cooking stations, looking like their regular kitchens, so that it gave our students a real life experience to see how chefs work in preparing food for their guests—except that their today’s guests were our own Yaowawit children, teachers, and staff.

The CSR programme also featured interviews with the chefs, who were elaborating the kinds of food they were planning to serve and the help they need from our hospitality students, whom they had trained over many years as part of Yaowawit Pre-Vocational Academies. In the end, the lunch was a delicious buffet.

Thanks to everyone who took part in the event. It was greatly educational for the children. If you want to do any other CSR activities with the children, please contact us at info@yaowawit.org.

Under a new CEO, Mercedes-Benz Thailand continues its CSR partnership with Yaowawit. CEO Khun Roland arrived on the second day of the CSR activities—not only to affirm the 14-year partnership but also to meet the children directly and to tour Yaowawit for himself. Furthermore, Khun Philipp, Yaowawit’s founder, also joined the event.

On the first day, the CSR work started with an ice-breaking game of sing along by the ten Mercedes-Benz staff volunteers before they worked in groups in a drawing game. The challenge was, while closing their eyes with ribbons around their heads, they drew animal cartoons based on descriptions that they listened to. After that, they also played chair ball game together.

Later, a funny football game between few other Mercedes-Benz staff volunteers and journalists with the children started. Afterward, they also donated the football training equipment and had a group photo together.

This direct interaction gives our children a chance to set their dream high such as to study hard so that they can one day work at Mercedes-Benz. Additionally, this interaction also lets Mercedes-Benz staff volunteers see for themselves that they can help these children.

If your company also wants to do a CSR programme with our children, please contact us at info@yaowawit.org.

Two emergency rescue care (ERC) professionals gave hands-on demonstrations about what to do in a scenario if a Yaowawit student got an accident. The scenarios include bleeding from injuries, broken bones from falling, and losing consciousness caused by numerous possible incidents.

The ERC professionals showed several first-aid actions to take to reduce the fatality risk from such an accident. Then the school members including Yaowawit teachers, staff, and students practiced the actions in relation to the scenarios. For example, stopping bleeding, bandaging a broken arm, and doing CPR, among other actions.

This first aid training was funded by the Kapong municipality that aims to educate Yaowawit teachers, staff, and children in such training on a regular basis so that they are able to perform a first-aid action to reduce the injury risk before the casualty is taken to a hospital.

If your organisation also wants to give us any other training useful for the children’s safety, security, and well-being, please contact us at info@yaowawit.org.